


Shot Through the Heart

by toesalignedarch



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: (sorry Andy), Headcanon, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, M/M, Slice of Life, but for romance's sake, purposeful misuse of greek mythology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25424701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toesalignedarch/pseuds/toesalignedarch
Summary: Yusuf and Nicolò were meant to find each other. It's like destiny—especially if Cupid has anything to do with it.inspired by @lenalost'spost:old guard fic where yusuf and nicolò see each other from cross the battle field, and rather than getting to kill the man of their dreams like they planned,, arrows from both sides strike them both at the same time, one through the neck and one through the heartThey Make Enough Jokes About Cupid For The Next Millenia To Drive Andy Insane
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 20
Kudos: 358





	Shot Through the Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [osaa_pax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/osaa_pax/gifts).



> hello old guard fandom, please accept my humble addition of my very first old guard fic :) as mentioned in the summary, this fic was inspired by @[lenalost](https://lenalost.tumblr.com/)'s [post](https://lenalost.tumblr.com/post/624186085264752641/old-guard-fic-where-yusuf-and-nicol%C3%B2-see-each), which I stumbled upon while browsing through the old guard tags in a frenzy (post-movie, of course)
> 
> I'm dedicating this to my dear friend [osaa_pax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/osaa_pax) who I have to thank for so much, namely for introducing me to so many new things. 
> 
> **disclaimer** : I've only just finished watching the movie! making my way slowly through the comics but if things aren't canonically compliant ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ my bad

"He was Yusuf back then, and—"

"—and Nicky was Nicolò, and things were very different."

They're sitting around in an abandoned farm house on the outskirts of some rural town in the United States, whose name Joe has already forgotten. It's not quite his fault; most of the signs they passed on the way here were either too weatherbeaten or too dusty to read clearly. The only sign he remembers is the one that read " _POPULATION: 170"_ in bold white letters, like it was something to be proud of.

Nile leans forward, resting her elbows on the tarp they'd spread over the worn table to prevent splinters. "This was during the Crusades, right?" 

"Mm," Nicky confirms. He cups his hands around his coffee and takes a sip, eyes fluttering shut as the caffeine hits his tongue and enters his system. "It was so long ago, but I remember everything vividly."

"Probably because it was the first time you died?"

They turn and see Andy standing in the doorway, looking distinctly out of place with her sharp, all-black garb against the faded reds and greens of the barn house. She's holding two burlap bags in her hands, a gun tucked into her waistband, her usual sunglasses perched on top of her head.

"Well, yes," Nicky concedes as he grabs the bags from Andy and passes one off to Joe, tossing it into his chest without any warning. "That"—he glances over with a quirk of his lips—"and one other thing."

Joe winks at him and Nicky's smile widens.

Dinner is a quick and easy affair; Andy had gotten a fair share of fresh produce from a nearby (and occupied) farm—apparently she'd helped the owners scare off a pack of coyotes from their chicken coop and they insisted she also accept a dozen eggs as a thank you—and after weeks of rationing canned meals, even a raw carrot tastes like paradise. 

"So," Nile says over the sounds of forks scraping against ceramic plates. "You were saying?"

Nicky shares a glance with him and gives him a nearly indiscernible nod. 

"It's difficult to differentiate the story of how we met with the story of how we first died," Joe says. 

"Destiny," Nicky adds. "Works in mysterious ways."

Next to him, Andy rolls her eyes. "Nile, don't tell me you asked about how they first met."

"Sorry, Andy."

"Well, that's my cue. I've heard this story too many times to care about you fuckers"—she affectionately ruffles Joe's hair and cups the back of Nicky's head—"so I'm out. If I hear any more fucking _cupid_ jokes—"

"Cupid?" Nile asks as Andy disappears into another part of the farmhouse.

"Patience," Nicky tells her. "We'll get there."

With Andy gone, they end up moving to the couches and, after dusting off the musty fabric as best they can, settle down with their post-dinner glasses of wine. Nile is in a wingback chair that must've been incredibly handsome when it was first purchased, while Nicky and Joe curl up in classic Chesterfield sofa, legs intertwined. 

"I remember when I first saw Joe from across the battlefield," Nicky tells her. "I didn't know who he was, of course, but there was something about him that I couldn't forget. I thought it was because we were sworn enemies; he just another Muslim combatant I needed to kill."

Joe presses a kiss to Nicky's forehead. "On my end, he looked like a fucking asshole. You had a horse for a bit, didn't you? Yeah, prancing around like he owned the world." 

Rolling his eyes, Nicky swats playfully at his partner. "Like you were any better," he teases, before turning his attention back to Nile. "I planned for _days_ —oh, don't worry, it was a siege, so I had the time. I had such an elaborate scheme for how to kill this man, the man I could not get out of my head. But then the day comes"—Nicky chuckles and rests his head on Joe's shoulder—"and it all goes to shit."

Joe huffs a quick laugh. "That's putting it nicely. When Nicky says ' _goes to shit_ ' he means as soon as we come face to face with the invaders after days of waiting, just like _that_ "—he snaps his fingers—"I feel this agony right here, and right here." He points to the soft part of his neck, right below his Adam's apple, and to his heart.

"And from across the battlefield, I feel the same thing." Nicky gestures to his neck and his chest. "We'd been shot by archers, you see. Killed before I even got to meet him in person." 

"By the time I came back, the battle was already almost over. I was so lost, so confused, in so much pain, but then I look up, and who do I see but the man who's haunted my nightmares and daydreams, the love of my life and death, rising to his feet just like me?" Joe's smile is nostalgic and intimately soft. "Shot through the heart and the neck at nearly the same time." 

"Nile," Nicky says, and she jolts. "You know the myth of Eros, yes? You may know him as Cupid."

Nile thinks back to cardboard cut-outs of a nearly naked baby with a bow and arrow, cheap red and pink streamers, and the sweet taste of chocolate. "More or less."

"Well." The two lovers gaze into each other's eyes. "I'm not saying it was Eros who brought me and Joe together that day..."

"But we're also not _not_ saying that," Joe finishes.

In the silence that follows, Nile's expression is complex—Joe recognizes the twinkle in her eyes as amusement, the quirk of her lips as happiness, the furrow of her brow as skepticism. "Did that... did that actually happen?"

Joe laughs. "Of course not," he says, and Nile shakes her head, rolling her eyes. 

"Andy hates it when we tell this story because according to her, 'that's not how Eros' powers worked' and she claims we're defiling Greek mythology on purpose." 

Joe smirks as he adds, "Cupid jokes get a bit tiresome after a thousand years, apparently."

"That's why she always leaves the room," Nicky says, gesturing to the hallway through which Andy had disappeared. "Terrible sense of humor."

She almost expects Andy to storm into the room and bodyslam both of them to the ground. When the Scythian doesn't, Nile turns her attention back to the two men, regarding them with a scrutinizing look. 

"You're wondering why we tell this version," Joe guesses, and she nods. "Partly because it pisses off Andy, and that's always fun."

"But also," Nicky says, grabbing both of Joe's hands and dropping a light kiss on each of his knuckles. "We were always meant to find each other. But this, it's a _much_ more romantic story than saying we killed each other over and over again, no?"

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are always much appreciated :)
> 
> thanks for reading!!!


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